Mogappair, Nolambur residents want open drains to be covered, to prevent accidents

Residents say the open drains pose a hazard, and private lorries dump sewage into them; NHAI says work will be done in six months

Residents of Mogappair and Nolambur want the open stormwater drains along the service lanes off Chennai Bypass to be covered soon, to prevent accidents.

The two-km stretch between Ambattur Industrial Estate and Maduravoyal, off Chennai Bypass, continues to be an accident zone as a major portion of the canal is yet to be covered. Residents recalled the accident where a woman and her daughter died last year, after the two-wheeler they were riding skidded and fell into the open drain.

Earlier this year, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had started work to cover the canal with cement slabs for a distance of 700 metres. But this was stopped a few weeks before the Assembly elections.